Patent EP No 1,344,550 describes a connector that serves the same purpose, made of one piece with three tubes. The main tube is a central bore which completely traverses the member between its outer and inner sides (the latter being thus defined because it is within a tubular container once the connector is placed in the corresponding opening in such container), which is used to fill the container with soluble solid powdered or granular salts, whereby it has a greater diameter. The other two tubes are designed for water inflow and solution outflow, respectively, and they each have a length that is parallel to the central tube from the inner side of the connector to the vicinity of the outer side, wherefrom they outwardly diverge to extend in a parallel direction along a respective side wing or along the edge of the outer side leading to a cylindrical portion configured to be plugged into a dialysis machine. FIGS. 4 and 5 of such European Patent show the general features of a mounting console of the aforesaid dialysis machine model, wherein the side tubes are seen following paths forming more than one bend such that, for mold-designing purposes, if the member were made of plastic, the open side tubes could be molded on the outer side.
The pre-filling operation is typically carried out during the container manufacturing process itself and it can be followed by a sealing operation wherein a compliant sheet is welded onto the outer side of the connector to cover the mouth of the central tube, as can be seen in FIG. 2 of the aforementioned European Patent No. 1,344,550, to avoid both the loss of its contents and its contamination within the container. These procedures are performed in a sterile area. The same sheet also covers the side tubes that are molded with openings therein, as shown in FIG. 1 of such patent.
Patent AR No 37,133 refers to a connecting cap for a bi-compartment bag used with another hemodialysis machine. FIGS. 3; 4, and 5 of such patent AR No 37,133 show a connector having two inlet and outlet tubes, which is made of an assembly of two sealed and nested members. One member is of annular shape and it is incorporated into the replaceable bag in such a manner that on its inner side, each tube is in fluid communication with a separate compartment. The second, central member is not placed within the annular member until just after the bag has been pre-filled with the powdery product through the larger diameter central tube. The central member is formed with a disk sealing the central tube once it has been snapped into the annular member, thus forming a connector to attach the bag to the dialysis machine when the latter opens such disk as a valve to let the water in and dissolve the product, with the machine removing the resulting solution via the side tube.
Finally, FIGS. 2 and 3 of Published Patent Application AR No 35,471 show a two-piece molded connector having ribs to allow for its assembly.